Mrs. Grundy's Studies in English Prudery
by Norman A. Rubin

One of my favourite pastimes is browsing through second hand bookshops with the chance that I might find an interesting book that will insure enjoyable reading. Last week, at such an emporium, I found a very naughty but fascinating book. The name of this delightful tome is entitled "Mrs. Grundy's* Studies in English Prudery", by a Peter Fryer (London House & Maxwell, New York). Actually it is a history and lexicon of prudery. Prudery, as we know it, is fear and hatred of pleasures, primarily of sexual pleasures. The book tells of the efforts of individuals and organizations to enforce the prohibition of liquor; the ban of Sunday sports, games, etc.; seductive dancing like the 'strip-tease', the 'can-can' and even the simple 'fox-trot'; and the taboo of all terms referring to parts of the body, sexual activity, excretion and certain articles of clothing.

Their efforts went to great extremes - In the Victorian era polite society covered the legs of pianos and other pieces of furniture so that the sight of naked legs would not offend the ladies. While in Los Angeles Mrs. Grundy's cousin was prompting members of the local school board to consider banning all Tarzan books, because of the complaint that Tarzan and his mate Jane were half-naked. In 1963, the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals (it should of have been 'against', but the founder was stricken in years when he drew up his will) designed bikinis for stallions, petticoats for cows, and boxer shorts for small animals, so as to shield the eyes of Americans from the sight of these animals' sexual organs.

One of the earliest victims of verbal prudery was the mention of various parts of the body. 'Belly' as early as 1375 was replaced by 'stomach'; and the word 'leg' seems to have engendered more distress than 'belly', especially in the United States, where even the mention of 'feet' was banned at one time. So 'legs' became 'limbs'; 'naked' in the proper English press still remains 'unclothed'; 'bosoms' refer to breast (Even breastpin in the USA in 1834 became 'bosom pin'.); and at the beginning of the century a 'breast of chicken' was referred to as the 'second wing'. Noah Webster (1833), the famous lexicographer, got down to bowdlerise the Bible. He replaced 'teat' with 'breasts', 'stink' with 'smell', 'in the belly' with 'in embryo', etc..

The book contains many euphemisms -' Halitosis' for 'bad breath' is quite recent but 'perspire' for 'sweat' dates from the 18th cent.. The smell of moisture exuded from the skin is euphemistically known as 'body odour' or 'B.O' (1940). Even the acts of defecation and urination, and the places where these acts are carried out, have long been referred to by a large number of euphemisms.

There was a 'BLOODY' taboo on swears words. Beeton's Manners of Polite Society (1857) warns "that all meats served in mass should be carved in thin slices... carefully avoiding...offending the delicacy of ladies...by too-ensanguined pieces...". Some English people will still refer to a 'bitch' as a 'lady dog'. "How we pet lovers secretly resent our beloved female dogs being referred to as 'bitches'", declared a recent letter in a women's magazine.

The worded sexual differentiation of animals and human beings is a source of verbal taboos, the act of sex, an even powerful one. The avoidance of the very word 'woman' in America in the last century, and its replacement by 'female' seem largely to have been a sexual taboo. Neither the word 'syphilis' nor the word 'gonorrhea' was permissible in the U.S.A. till the mid-thirties: Efforts in the early years to diminish these words were successful in both the U.S.A. and Britain by prudery, especially the prudery of newspapers which referred to them by various euphemisms such as 'vice diseases', or 'a certain illness'.

Quite 'harmless' words may come to be avoided because they merely sound like a tabooed word, though their meaning may be totally different. Thus, some Americans avoid bellicose, chambermaid, circumscribe, elicit, excavate (associated with 'evacuate'), excrescence (associated with 'excrement'), masticate, menstruation, privet, rapier, rumpus, sects, titter, vile (associated with 'bile'). Even the word 'vowel', which could be referred to the word 'bowel'. 'Roaches' started to oust American 'cockroaches' in the eighteen twenties; 'haystacks' were beginning to replace 'haycocks'; and a young woman tells Judge Haliburton's "Sam Slick" (novel 1838) that her brother is a 'rooster swain' in the navy.

Mrs. Grundy together with her allies, the 'Misery Martins' doesn't spare any vice. She lifts up her skirt and with her brolly held high she charge headlong into her righteous battle. She is an energetic and persistent elder creature, who very much wants to regain her influence over people's lives. Nor is there any guarantee that she will not succeed. The prude has traditionally operated with energy and holy endeavor in two ways which at first are unconnected with sex: the way people behave on their rest days; and the use of alcoholic drinks.

Note: Herbert Henry Martin, who in 1925 was elected to Lord's Day Observance Society earned the name 'Misery Martin' for his untiring efforts on behalf of the league.

Yet Mrs. Grundy and the 'Miser Martins' want to regulate the way in which the folk spend their day of rest for fear of the undesirably of pleasure, especially on the Sundays, the day of rest. The sabbatarians took a low view, on the whole, of the morals and likely fate of Sabbath breakers. There was also a fear of sexual indulgences with free access to places of social intercourse on the Sundays, such as sporting events, parks, and even in the access to museums and exhibitions. Yet, despite the efforts of the prudish ranks, the barriers were pulled down and today people enjoy their day of rest to the pleasure of their choosing.

The bigot seeks to prevent the imbibing of alcoholic beverages because they are alarmed. They surmise that liquor of any sort taking in moderation, heightens sexual activity more frequently. Thus they go to extremes in their campaign in the prohibition of alcoholic beverages by waving their banners and forcing lawmakers to pass laws that regulate and or prohibit the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Even clothing, especially women's apparel captures the eyes of the 'Nosey Parkers'. The prudes find each new revealing fashion as indecent and immoral. But the poor dears cannot tear their eyes from the revealing legs, the barely covered breasts, or backs, or buttocks. Others are pleased and amused by the sight, but the prude defends his peace of mind by attacking the new fashions to his sight as a profoundly and shocking experience.

The banner of prudery of Mrs. Grundy charges on throughout the book. As a writer I found it to be a useful reference to prudishness. Within its pages are various ways and euphemisms that have been used, that have avoided the 'four letter word'; their derivations used at various periods; and the hundred of polite and not-so polite substitutes that have been coined to take their place.

"Why should we substitute 'rooster' for 'cock'? We say woodcock, peacock, weathercock, - although some persons object to these..." (Richard Bache, American philogist)

* Mrs. Grundy (Grundyism) conventional prudery, from the question "But what will Mrs. Grundy say?" in Thomas Merton's play "Speed the Plough" (1798). (Chambers Dictionary)

Norman A. Rubin of Afula, Israel is a former correspondent for the Continental News Service, USA. He's written on Near East culture and crafts, archaeology, history and politics; religious history and rites, etc. He's been featured in publications world wide - Jerusalem Post, Israel - Coin News, Minerva, Oriental Arts, etc. England - Ararat, Letter Arts Review, Archaeology, etc. USA - Spotlight, Japan - International B, Hong Kong. He's been a freelance writer for the past sixteen years of short stories of all genres - mystery, horror, humour, sexual customs, etc.